§ 84. Mr. Willeyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the sow population at the latest available date; and how this compares 64W with the corresponding figures for the previous two years.
§ Mr. HareThe latest reliable figures come from the September, 1959, Census for England and Wales, which showed 550,000 sows and gilts for breeding on holdings over 1 acre, compared with 650,000 at the same date in 1958 and 641,000 in 1957. I hope the December, 1959, Census figures will be ready for publication next week. In the meantime, the published results from the December sample inquiry, which is subject to sampling error and less reliable, have shown 544,000 sows and gilts, compared with 558,000 in September.